Tunji Wusu –
During the Hajj rituals that had recently ended in Saudi Arabia, fifteen Nigerians had perished. The annual pilgrimage attracted approximately 2 million Muslims from throughout the world.
In a post-Arafat meeting on Sunday, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said that since the start of the current 2023 hajj until Sunday, Nigeria had lost 14 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Usman Galadima, the NAHCON National Medical Team’s Chief of Operations, shared the numbers with participants in a post-Arafat conference on Sunday in Makkah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
According to Galadima, six pilgrims passed away during the five-day Mashair (main Hajj period) and one more passed away after Arafat. Seven pilgrims also perished before Arafat.
“Six deaths were reported at Mashair; two were in Mina and four were in Arafat. Before Arafat, we already lost seven pilgrims, and I just learned that we lost another one. This puts the total number of reported fatalities to 14. He stated, “The mortality rate is comparable to that of 2019.”
Alhaja Kuburat Adunni Shekoni, a pilgrim from the state of Lagos’ Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area, passed away recently, adding sadly to the list.
The family of Alhaja Shekoni has received condolences from Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State.
Prince Anofiu Olanrewaju Elegushi stated the governor prayed to God to pardon her transgressions and grant her Aljanat Fridaus on behalf of the administration and good people of the State, asking the family to accept the circumstance as the wish of Allah. Additionally, he prayed to Allah for strength for the family to endure the irreplaceable loss.
Elegushi emphasized further that the deceased’s roommate discovered her dead in the restroom. The deceased was a 66-year-old female pilgrim from Oshodi-Isolo Local Government. He added that the NAHCON medical center would disclose the facts following their investigation and stated that the cause of her death was still under investigation.
The medical team discovered three cases of chickenpox during the main hajj period, and the infected pilgrims were promptly removed from the region as a preventative measure to stop the spread of the disease, according to Dr. Galadima, who briefed stakeholders on the situation.
Galadima also said that the team had two safe deliveries during the hajj rite in Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah, with one of the pregnant women having given birth on the road and the other having been transported to the clinic.
He emphasized the importance of receiving a certificate of medical fitness along with a thorough pre-hajj medical examination.
He added that because to the strain involved, it is best to prevent elderly pilgrims and those who are very ill from taking part in the symbolic demon stoning at Jamrat.
The state pilgrims will begin their return journey to their homes on July 7th, according to Prince Elegushi, who is also the Amir-ul-Hajj of Lagos, who announced this. A’special flight’ is anticipated to fly all the old and those with medical issues.
The airlifting practice, he continued, would last through July 22 when the officials will be transported.
He expressed the hope that after being made aware of the baggage policies, the pilgrims would adhere to the 32kg limit set by the airline for main luggage and refrain from packing any liquids, such as water, since their ZamZam water had already been transported to Nigeria in preparation for their arrival.
Speaking about the issues of insufficient sleeping arrangements and feeding in Muna, the immediately preceding Hon. Commissioner for Home Affairs absolved the State and NAHCON of any blame, stating that the Saudi Arabian authorities were at fault for failing to make sufficient arrangements for sleeping arrangements in proportion to the number of pilgrims who took part in the exercise this year.
He expressed the opinion that rather than giving the exclusive right to the Arabs, the individual States should be permitted to hire their own native professional caterers to serve local specialties to their pilgrims.
In order for medical staff brought by the states to be able to give first aid for pilgrims with medical issues, he also pleaded with NAHCON to seek working permits for them.
He pointed out that doing so would support NAHCON’s initiatives and ease the strain on the clinic staff.
Elegushi encouraged NAHCON to cede part of its rights to the States and scale back its autonomy. If given the chance, NAHCON should have confidence in our ability to carry out some tasks. They ought to put their faith in the states to take care of things, give us certain responsibilities, and direct us, he said.
